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B.S. Retail Merchandising and Management

Do you like to plan, organize, lead people or manage resources? UW-Stout's Bachelor of Science degree in Retail Merchandising and Management prepares you for a career buying, marketing and managing retail goods and services for traditional and e-commerce businesses. Our diverse curriculum offers four concentrations of study:

Buying and Product Management

Store Operations Management

Human Resource Management

Fashion Marketing

You'll develop critical-thinking and communication skills in the classroom and gain hands-on retail experience in our student-operated specialty store. We'll provide you with access to study abroad opportunities in global retail and class trips to the New York fashion district and Las Vegas buying shows.

Student’s design shows off tourism goods at Chamber of Commerce

April 5th, 2017.
Student’s design shows off tourism goods at Chamber of Commerce

UW-Stout's Retail Merchandising and Management program prepares you for an exciting career in retail. The program allows you to pursue concentrations in buying and product management, fashion marketing, human resource management or store operations management. You can also pursue a minor in business administration, art or journalism.

On your path to becoming a knowledgeable and capable professional, you'll take classes in:

Retail and business

Merchandising and management

Promotions

Merchandise planning and control

Store management

Economics

Accounting

Marketing

International business

Human resource management

Classroom experiences provide you with an in-depth theoretical study of the field of retail, while a student-operated specialty store and off-campus internship experiences allow you to get hands-on experience and apply what you have learned.

CEO discusses transformation of Select Comfort at Cabot event

November 9th, 2015.
After Shelly Ibach graduated from UW-Stout, she was hired as a management trainee at Dayton’s in Minneapolis and worked 25 years for the company.

A number of student organizations provide you with excellent leadership training, career insights and recreation opportunities. Join our award-winning Stout Retail Association student organization with more than 100 members ready to work in apparel merchandising, fashion management, store operations, consumer electronics, culinary arts, market research, publicity and merchandising analysis.

To complement the academic program of study, senior students may interview with selected retail companies for off-campus internship positions. These co-ops/internships are semester-long, paid work experiences in management training positions with major retail companies.

High school students interested in entering the retail field should have a college preparatory background emphasizing English, speech, writing skills, math, social studies, economics and accounting. Work experience in a retail store is suggested.

Starting Out

During your first few semesters, you'll enroll in a combination of general education studies and major foundation courses. General education includes:

English composition

Speech and a variety of other student-selected courses in the humanities

Social and behavioral sciences

Natural science

Technology

Analytical reasoning

Initial courses in the major include:

Introduction to retail merchandising and management

Basic retailing

Computer applications

Advisers are eager to help you with course selection and career direction. Additional assistance is available through the Advisement and Career Center, Counseling Center and Career Services.

Moving Forward

The Retail Merchandising and Management program provides a sound body of knowledge from which to launch a successful career in retailing. The curriculum provides professional courses in both general retailing and in your concentration of choice. General education courses ensure that you have a well-rounded education.

You'll also contribute to the operation of The Niche, a student-inspired specialty store located in UW-Stout's Heritage Hall. You and other students take charge of all aspects of this retail operation, including planning and purchasing, inventory control, advertising, visual merchandising, special events, selling and supervision.

The retail faculty and teaching staff are former retailers who work closely with students and retail companies. They maintain and cultivate industry relationships, which provide up-to-date information and career planning for you and helps you develop solid contacts for employment upon graduation.

Graduates of the Retail Merchandising and Management program usually enter the professional field through an executive training program with a major retail company. This training generally consists of planned rotations in various supervisory positions within the store, merchandising division, distribution center or other areas of the company.